Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri seeks 'young' Esteban Cambiasso

Claudio Ranieri wants to add another central midfielder to his Leicester City squad to cover for the loss of Esteban Cambiasso and the injured Matty James.

The pair were ever-present last season, with Cambiasso in particular credited for being the driving force behind Leicester's remarkable escape from the relegation zone.

But the club lost Cambiasso, who was voted Leicester's player of the year by supporters, after he refused to renew his contract.

If it's possible, I want one with the same experience but younger than Cambiasso.

To add to Ranieri's woes, James is reportedly likely to be out until after Christmas with a serious knee injury, after being stretchered off at the start of May in the Foxes' home 2-0 win against Southampton.

"I want to build the team more or less like last season," said Ranieri, who was appointed last month at Leicester to replace Nigel Pearson.

"There are not the two central midfielders who played all the time last season, James and Cambiasso."

Ranieri, who last managed the Greece national team before taking up the Leicester job, has recently added midfielder N'Golo Kante from Caen.

"I wanted to replace one with Kante, and another I am still waiting for," Ranieri added. "If it's possible, with the same experience but younger than Cambiasso."

Leicester open their Premier League campaign when they host Sunderland on Saturday.

Ranieri's two signings - Kante and Yohan Benalouane - may not be available to face Sunderland, with the former Chelsea manager still assessing their fitness after their recent arrival at the King Power Stadium.

That may leave him turning again to Andy King and Danny Drinkwater to fill the the central midfield berths.